Deer feeders are a common feature in the hunting industry. Many people prefer to set out a feeder in hopes of attracting and settling deer in a hunting area during the winter or other hard times so as to have a deer population present during the hunting season. Over the years, automated feeders have been developed which are intended to automatically feed a small quantity of feed, typically corn, upon the ground over a limited area around the feeder over time. Such feeders are often wind powered or powered by small electric devices using common batteries for operation. Once properly installed above an area through which deer traverse, deer will become accustomed to the feeder and receiving food from it and will be attracted and incentivized to stay in the hunting area.
While such feeders are somewhat effective, they do suffer a number of disadvantages. For example, scavenging animals, other than deer, are also attracted to the feeders, requiring that the feeder must be suspended or elevated at sufficient height as to prevent hog, squirrels, and other undesired animals from directly accessing the feed container. Due to such height, feeders are often difficult and inconvenient to load. Further, typical feeders which deposit feed directly upon the ground attracts hogs and other wild animals to the area. This presents a serious problem as, in addition to such animals eating valuable feed intended for deer consumption, hogs and other animals can scare away deer defeating the purpose of the deer feeder.
As well, deer feeders are generally designed with large barrels or tanks in which large amounts of feed can be stored for delayed production over time. Storage of large quantities of feed, typically enough to last several months, reduces the interaction of a hunter with the area which in turn prevents the chance of the hunter scaring off a deer population. During the off-season months it is advantageous to hunters to keep the deer population healthy and well fed in anticipation of the beginning of the hunting season. As such, many hunters prefer to mix feed such as corn, soy beans, rice bran, or commercial animal feed like sweet feed to maintain the deer population. Yet, mixing feed prior to depositing in the feeder container is time consuming and many times does not entirely mix together, leaving sections of the container with more feed than the other.
Feeder actuators, whether they are wind activated or set to articulate upon an electric signal from a timer, must be reliable. Deer are sensitive to their environment and any unknown noise or motion may cause them to flee. The whirring sound of an electric motor or the sudden spinning motion of a dispenser often times will spook the deer into fleeing the area, seriously jeopardizing game traffic along a game trail. Furthermore, where the dispenser mechanism requires contact with an animal, it usually must be hung at a lower location where the deer can reach and easily contact it. However, the lower a feeder is hung, the easier it becomes for squirrels, hogs, and other animals to contact it, using up the feed.
Even more so, producing feed by wind articulation or electronically timed triggering supplies feed at times when deer are not present to be attracted and does not condition the deer to come to the feeder at desired times. Rather the feed is produced upon the ground wherein the deer can eat at their leisure. Deer are foragers inclined to remain safely hidden during daylight hours, only straying from their protection during twilight and evening when they are less exposed to be preyed upon by predators. This creates a serious problem where a hunter would prefer the deer to arrive at the hunting area during daylight hours, the regulated hours reserved for hunting which are strictly enforced by each state's Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Thus, it is advantageous that deer be conditioned to eat at a feeder at preferred times.
In light of such disadvantages in typical game feeders, there is presently a need for a feeder which operates to condition deer to arrive at the feeder at desired times and which provides for proper mixing of feed and feeding of a deer population in a quiet and efficient manner without the necessity of depositing the feed upon the ground.